Unexpected
by commasplice27
Summary: A series (3 so far) of fluff, aimless, romance fic-lets of various femslash pairings from Law and Order/SVU/so far. (Alex/Olivia, Casey/Serena, Alex/Casey,...) (prompt me for more pairings) Mainly these are a reaction to reading angst of late ;) and probably because I'm procrastinating 2-3 WIPS.
1. Chapter 1 AO

From - A Series of Random Fluff.

Note: This may or may not be reaction fic... from, perhaps, reading too much angst? .

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**Unexpected 1 **

This first one is an Alex/Olivia ficlet

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Before witsec, Alex never would have imagined a Saturday afternoon quite like this one.

She picked another strawberry from the colander and sliced off the top, placing the main hulled portion of it into a bowl.

Bright brown eyes gleamed up at her and a little hand grabbed it before she could reach in and trim the next one.

"You do know these are for you." She said, shooting him an amused, if exasperated look before continuing her lunch prep.

He tilted his head and grinned at her, a little half-smile that so reminded her of Olivia that her heart melted a little bit more. He took advantage of her pause to smile harder and grab another hulled berry, giggling as he ran off.

"Remember to wash your hands," she called out to the empty room.

He was starting to talk to her, and play with her more. He still wasn't a tenth as talkative with her as he was with his mother. Which was understandable, but she took the sound of the bathroom sink turning on as an indication that he did, at least, listen to her.

Olivia came home right as Alex finished putting the rest of the food on the table.

"Look at this," Olivia said, gently teasing. "To think, when I met you, a homemade lunch would be yogurt with a dusting of granola."

"That's a perfectly acceptable lunch," Alex argued.

Olivia winked at her. "How are you two getting along today?"

"Pretty good I think," Alex smiled and then let her voice get slightly louder. "Though _someone_ is a strawberry pirate."

Noah grinned at her again, and it felt like it was a special look. Something, some humor or moment shared just between the two them.

This was changing her. Not only her re-burgeoning relationship with Olivia, but with Olivia as a single mother.

They were moving slowly, but even slowly, increasing commitment levels came with increasing the time spent together. Time spent between the three of them, and time spent getting to know Olivia as a mother. But also time spent between her and Noah, that no longer felt like mere-babysitting.

She didn't have any idea what to name that feeling yet, but it was growing on her.

There were more and more days like these where she thought… maybe.

Maybe this could last. And that was the _most_ unsettling part for her. She loved Olivia, she always had. But beyond the pull they had on each other, the love was still growing. And her feelings for Olivia on her own, for Olivia as a mother, for Olivia's child, _this child_ \- were taking her through a loop.

She returned Noah's grin with a little squnich of her nose and the returned her attention to her lunch. When she looked up again, Olivia was _looking _at her.

"What?"

Olivia cleared her throat. "Can you stay over tonight?" she asked softly.

The surprise of it caught in her throat, so she just nodded instead and took a sip of her drink to get through it.

"Good," Olivia said, and then continued even softer, but with plenty of intention. "Because we're getting him to bed _early _tonight."

Alex choked on her water.


	2. Chapter 2 CS

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**Unexpected**

A Series of Fluff ficlets

This one is a Casey/Serena fic.

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"You make quite the impression."

That was the reason Serena gave for coming over and talking to her. For very clearly hitting on her. For leaving her number.

It never made sense to Casey.

Serena had been so young to achieve her position in the EADA's office. She'd been fired for being gay (or being liberal - the office gossip never came to a clear consensus on that), and went onto bigger and better things fast enough to give the gossip-chain whiplash. She was ambitious, confident, and experienced.

For someone like Serena to - _not_ have taken off running from Casey the second she realized how… _inexperienced_ Casey was...

What possible impression could she have made on this woman for her to be willing to wait for _Casey_ to be comfortable?

Casey never could figure it out.

.

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She could have drowned in oxygen for how hard she was breathing. Her entire body had been laced with anticipation and now it was overwhelmed with sensation. Every sound from Serena hit her in her stomach, caused her lungs to reach for more oxygen. Every new detail seemed to rush straight to her body: the way she tasted, the way she felt under her hands, and the way her fingertips gripped at her.

She was completely overwhelmed and trying her best not to just flat out worship the woman who was setting her on fire. The woman who touched her like she was special. Like she'd been dying to. She didn't think she would ever be over her name coming from Serena's lips _like_ _that_.

Afterward, she was wrecked. She must have been, because she couldn't think of anything more that she wanted to do than to hold her again.

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Serena ordered breakfast the next morning and came back in the room to find Casey waiting for her on the couch. She was muttering to her phone as she leaned over and put her phone in front of Casey's face.

"Oh my god, look at this decision, this is ridiculous," she said, starting her counter-argumemt, easily dismantling the key logic in what she was reading. She was talking fast, her face cute and animated and worked up, right next to her.

.

Call it a delay in self-awareness via sublimation and denial. Hiding behind a bad romantic history, and a faith that she knew she'd lost when she was a teenager and they'd basically told her all of her friends who weren't Catholic would not go to heaven. She wanted very little part of that, not that she'd ever tell her mother… And yet she had still buried this - deep.

Denial and sublimation.

So much sublimation that it got her all the way to Harvard.

She shook her head at the amount of time and regrets it took her to get here.

And all it took to break it all down was this woman.

This tall goddess, with crystal blue eyes and perfect shiny blond hair that could only exist via blessing or eternal wealth. Considering the woman leaning above her, maybe both.

When Serena handed over her phone number, it took two weeks of psyching herself up for Casey to call her, and a simple kiss at the end of that first date to feel the confirmation.

It was, unassailable, corroborating evidence.

Casey had never expected to feel everything _click_ into place.

Serena probably worried that she would change her mind and decide that this was just an experiment. It wasn't. She'd done the experiment.

This just confirmed those results.

Jesus, did this confirm those results.

This thing that was happening between her and Serena… well, she really wasn't ready to admit what this was to her.

Serena had been patient with Casey coming to terms with it herself, let alone with coming out. She was incredibly understanding and very, very patient.

They'd undoubtedly moved a lot slower than Serena was probably used to. A side effect that let them get to know each other well, because she knew that Serena was fun. But she learned that was funny and had a hidden nerd streak, which made her all the more charming. Serena also read suspense novels. She liked getting her tarot cards read. She played tennis at a private club (she would play anyone in a friendly match, but would demolish anyone who got too cocky). She was deeply analytical, and often impulsive. She would lean across a restaurant table and kiss her, not caring if it was making a scene or if anyone was looking.

Casey found that there was one benefit in not realizing she was a lesbian until she was closer to thirty than she was to twenty. Because learning to be comfortable with this was perhaps distracting enough to avoid fretting about how strong her feelings for this woman were, and that was before they'd had sex.

She knew she could fall for this woman. Like a stone.

It was too good to be true. _She_ was too good to be true. Everything about how Casey was raised, along with her own abbreviated dating record, told her to expect the worst.

Because things that were too good to be true…

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But that worry was muted every time she met Serena's bright-blue eyes.

"Do you have any plans on your birthday?" she found herself saying, once Serena's rant was over and her phone abandoned for laying in Casey's lap on the couch.

"Other than work, no," Serena said, a matter of fact.

"You work on your birthday?"

"Don't you?"

Casey pretended to think about it, but didn't have to. "Good point." She laughed. "I was wondering if I could reserve that night then. For something special."

"That sounds suspiciously like something a girlfriend would do," Serena threw out in what sounded like a thinly veiled attempt at nonchalance, softer and less confident than she usually was.

Casey fought hard to clamp down on a what was sure to be a decidedly-unsexy, naive, over-eager squeal. She couldn't keep down a lip that quivered into a slow grin though. "I would really like that," she said. "If you're offering the position."

"It's settled then," she said, and leaned up and kissed her. "Do I get to know what we're doing on my birthday?"

"Do you want to know, or do you want to wait and be surprised?"

"You can surprise me."

"Yeah?"

"You're worth the wait."


	3. Chapter 3 AC

**The Bridal Party**. (An Alex/Casey fluff-let)

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Note : This is pretty much a fluff fic that I apparently _had _to write whilst I was stuck, waiting, in a lobby for a while, yesterday. Not very beta-read, and yet, also apologies for the trope-y-ness, any _'that's convenient' _comments would probably be met with **even more tropes**, and if you think I can't pile them on… you're wrong.

Note 2 : This was longer than I meant, but IDK- Stashing it here anyway. Also, I'm annoyed with my muse that it wants to do this, and not put 3k words into say, any of the too-many WIPs I have going, I really need to stop procrastinating.

Note 3 : Completely inspired (stolen) from a viral twitter story.

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"What do we do?"

"Should we tell the guests?"

"Should someone get her mom?"

"I can't believe he did this."

"I can't believe _she_ did this."

"I think they're gone now, we should check… I didn't chase after him, but I am imagining that they took off after they were caught."

"We at least need to get the wedding planner."

The cacophonous sounds of the bridal party deciding to break the awkward silence all at once only created more confusion. The bride's whole day, an in fact, her entire planned future had just changed with the opening of the wrong door at the wrong time.

She sat, quietly as her wedding party, her _carefully _constructed wedding party (a _best _friend, a sister, an extended family member, and a work friend), finally erupted in the confusion, anger and shock that was due.

The bride's friends… well, her remaining friends, or what she hoped were at least women she could trust, paced and vented for her while plying her with more champagne, and waited for her response.

The groom and her maid of honor, had been found, on the day of the wedding, fucking in a closet.

A shock that could make anyone have no response, and yet a thousand responses, at the same time.

After the _pair_ had been interrupted, and captured on phone camera for proof; after the bride had been informed, the remaining wedding party retreated back to the pool house that was the staging area of the family home.

Despite all the women all talking at once, covering for their sympathy and concern with righteous anger and frustration, they all noticed when the bride-to-be-no-longer finally spoke.

"We should start the party. Let everyone enjoy the music and food, you know, your typical 100 person, intimate cancelled-wedding," she said, in a remarkably calm voice and collected voice, considering the situation. "_He_ is not invited, and of course, neither is _she who will not be named_, but everyone else is already here. It will probably be best to get the story overwith at once, rather than any rumors being spread via social media, or the biddies at the club or the next DAR meeting."

She looked up at the women surrounding her, her entire bridal party, minus one now _former_ best friend/maid of honor. Her sister, her closest cousin, her closest work friend.

"I'm pretty sure I can trust the rest of you," she said with a smirk, shaking her head and snorting a little as she tried to laugh.

"I'd say of course you can," Casey said, "but I can't imagine anyone doing what your supposed friend just did. So, I don't want to assume anything about your trust levels right now."

"Just as long as none of you slept with Chad too."

"That would be a definite 'no,' " Alex said.

"I'm your sister," Katie, said. "So, Ew, and also, I am completely on your side."

"And, I am very, very gay," Casey said, getting Colleen to laugh. "But I think it's safe to say that we are all on team:Colleen here. So, let us help you get through this weekend."

She nodded vaguely, and saw Alex and Casey look each other in the eye for a beat and nod as well. And then they went into action mode.

"Katie," Alex said. "You go get your mother and the wedding planner. I'll go inform the groomsmen, make sure he's gone, and let his family know what happened. Casey, stay here and prep a list of what needs to be done for anything on the business end until we get back, and everyone keep an eye on social media."

"What do you mean, what business needs to be done?" Colleen spoke up again, as her sister left to inform the family, and Alex looked again at Casey, who held up a hand and nodded as if to say _I got this. _ Alex nodded at her and left to enact her plans.

"She means we need to make a list of what needs to be done and people contacted. You two have been together for a while, and in sudden break ups, there are things to be considered, passwords, bank accounts, leases, living situations… stuff like that. Also, the party gifts, and any remaining wedding business…"

"Oh," she said, putting her head in her hands once again. "Right. This is really happening."

"Hey," Casey said, putting an arm around her back. "We got this. We're going to help you take care of this."

She nodded again.

"So, lets just get the hardest stuff done first… are you leaving him?"

She scoffed.

"No chance of reconciliation?"

"I am madder than I've ever been in my life," She looked up. "No chance in hell."

"So, no white glove treatment then in untangling the two of you, legally?"

"Burn all the bridges," she said. "I want him gone."

"Okay, you've got it," Casey said, smiling deviously and winking at her. "Now, first tell me about your lease, and any shared bank accounts."

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Casey looked up from her laptop when Katie, came back into the room, practically yelling.

"That unbelievable prick and the _bitch who will not be named_ are actually checking in on social media in Atlantic City."

"Are you kidding me?" Casey said, cringing when she heard her voice getting more and more strident. "No one can be that callous and idiotic as to go straight from leaving a bride to getting married in Atlantic City?"

"They don't even have enough class to keep it offline," Alex muttered by the fax machine.

They'd finally sent many of the guests home and had set-up quite an effective base of break-up operations in the unsurprisingly lush and well equipped pool house. A pool house that was bigger than Casey's apartment.

"You're what, shocked that they didn't get all the way to Niagara Falls or Vegas?" Alex's snark continued with a rather cute, challenging smirk.

Casey glared at her a little, but she could still feel the smile lines around her eyes, so she knew the expression probably showed little petulance.

"Oh, my god, that is so gross," Katie said, turing to her sister who was nursing another champagne on the couch. "If you ask me, you dodged a bullet."

"A bullet? I dodged a dirty-bomb," Colleen said, raising her glass and toasting the room.

The reception went as well as a cancelled wedding could, the wedding planner and bridal party kept the atmosphere and music as light as possible. Even the caterer sliced up the cake to make it merely a desert course instead of a tiered showstopper, the cake-topper having been given to the dogs as a chew toy.

"You are definitely better off," Casey said, accepting the new round of papers Alex brought over. "So, where are we at?"

"We were able to hand back 80% of the gifts in person," Alex said. "I've arranged for the wedding planner to send back the remaining parcels."

Casey checked off the item on her clipboard and smiled. "I've talked to the super and the building handyman. A locksmith is going to change the locks in an hour."

"Excellent," Alex said. "Any word on getting his stuff out?"

"I can have someone from TaskRabbit on it this evening, or have a more formal company arrive in the morning, a cleaning service in the afternoon, and a new mattress will be delivered tomorrow evening and they will pick up the old one."

"The formal company will probably be better, not to mention a full moving truck showing up and parking on the Abernathy's pebbled driveway will definitely not make his mother happy with him. Katie, can you meet them?"

"Absolutely."

Casey looked at Alex with delight and veneration at how well thought out and just a touch devious all of Alex's plans were.

Alex smiled back at her and continued. "All automatic payments from the joint account have been cancelled and we've got her portion of the money out."

"And I have zero doubt that she knew to the penny how much was hers," Casey said.

"Colleen is an accounting expert,"Alex said.

"True, but she should have drained the account."

"Well, there's no need to give him any real reasons to have a conversation with her ever again, no matter how satisfying that would be. However, I got the hotel to refund the honeymoon suite into a gift certificate in her name only, that she can use anywhere in the chain anytime she likes."

"She deserves it."

"That she does," Alex agreed.

Casey looked back at her list. "Anyway, all passwords are changed, down to the Netflix account."

"Excellent. What about the computers themselves?"

"She bought both, and the passwords have been changed there too."

Colleen and Katie watched the report, heads bouncing back and forth between the two in awe. The also noticed that the shared looks were morphing into shared smiles, shared smirks and even eye contact that revealed a cooperative glee.

"Between the two of you," Colleen said, "you could take over the world."

"That's what happens when you have two lawyers at your disposal." Alex said, bruising it off the way she did with most of her talents and achievements.

"No, I can totally see what she means," Katie said and pointed between the two. "This one is all gryffindor, all force and fire, and this one is a slytherin with a precise scalpel." She smiled at her deduction and looked up at her sister. "And they kept trading off tasks when they realized the other's approach would work better."

"I'm surprised they haven't been exchanging high fives." _Or started making out,_ Colleen thought, watching their reactions. "You could start a service for jilted brides everywhere."

Casey tilted her head and winked. Alex only smiled.

"You do work really well together," Katie said.

"I told her I'd be willing to transfer to her bureau," Casey said.

"You're too senior for my bureau."

"I'd be better than Steele."

"No one would argue that."

Casey smirked and looked back at the sisters. "If they give her a promotion, she might just become my boss anyway."

"You could also go for SVU bureau chief," Alex said, stapling a handful of papers and placing them in a file in front of Casey.

"Uh, no, thank you." Casey shook her head. "I like being a simple prosecutor. I'll leave all the politics to you."

"Anyway," Alex rolled her eyes and brought the conversation back around again. "Do you want to ship his clothes to his mom with the rest of his stuff, or send them to goodwill?"

Colleen watched Alex watch Casey grin and laugh at yet another of Alex's punishing suggestions, and came up with an idea of her own.

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* * *

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The house was quiet once again. The lights around the main house had come on, as well as the pool with it's elegant solar lotus floating lights, to match the calm, evening sunset mood.

Alex thanked Casey as she brought her another flute of champagne and joined her on the couch, relaxing after the long day.

The two sisters had left earlier with their mother on the way to donate the wedding and bridesmaids' dresses, along with all other re-useable wedding decor, to charity.

"I can't believe _she who will not be named_ is facebooking about where she wants to honeymoon," she dropped her phone on the couch in disgust.

"Ugh, I hope they get dysentery hiking the Oregon trail," Casey said, remembering early honeymoon suggestions from the groom involved hiking the Northwest Trek.

"Well, anywhere outside of the US is out," Alex said, the corner of her mouth twitching up.

Casey's eyes narrowed at her, but she was smiling. "What did you do?"

"I _didn't_ destroy his passport," she said, enjoying the way Casey threw her head back in laughter.

"That's only what you _didn't_ do," she said as she gained control of herself once more.

"I may have misfiled it," Alex said. "And put it in any number of boxes with _all_ of his papers and such."

"I am impressed." Casey smiled and smiled and smiled. "That is truly inspired."

"Did you underestimate my deviousness? I believe I have been deemed a slytherin."

"I can't believe you know what that is," Casey said.

"I _do _read, you know," she said, and watched Casey laugh again.

"I know you read, I'm just, pleasantly surprised," Casey said, smiling at her, and causing a little flutter in her stomach that she did not want to acknowledge.

"Quite a weekend, wasn't it."

"And to think, I thought the biggest shock was turning up to the rehearsal dinner and seeing you there."

"Imagine _my_ surprise," Alex responded. "She is my cousin, so I don't think _I'm _the big surprise"

"That's still just so weird, that we wouldn't know we both knew her."

"Not really. Do you know all of your cousins' friends?" Alex said. "And actually, she's my second cousin. But the family has been making sure I've been _involved_ since I've come back. The family social responsibility used to lie with my mother…"

Casey smiled softly at that. "It's nice that your family's trying to be there for you."

"It is," Alex sighed, but agreed.

"I'm sorry about your mother," Casey said. "I'm sorry for your loss, and that you couldn't be there."

Alex smiled through the pang that it always accompanied any thoughts about her mother, "Thank you."

"Tell me the truth," Casey said, letting some mischief into her expression. Her voice also changed, maybe in an attempt to divert them from the heady moment. "What when through your head at the dinner when you saw me?"

Alex laughed a little at that. She hoped Casey wouldn't have the nerve to ask her what she thought when she saw the redhead in the double strap, long, exquisite, blue wrap-style bridesmaid dress.

"I believe my first thought at dinner was, _You've got to be kidding me._"

Casey laughed too. "That's probably the same thought you had the first time you met me."

"No," she smirked. "The first time I met you I thought: _They gave my spot to a twenty-five year-old kid_?"

"Hey now," Casey said, smirking in return. "I was at least twenty-six by then."

"You proved yourself well enough though," Alex said, softening her expression.

"Hardly," Casey said. "I was so intimidated by you."

"Casey," Alex said. "Very few other ADAs would have been able to set aside their egos, let alone be smart enough to get out of my way and let me bait a trap for him."

"I'm just glad it worked," Casey finished the remaining drink in her flute off. "I was even more angry about everything that had happened to you than I was intimidated by you," she said, her eyes at just the right angle for the light to hit her long, light eyelashes.

Alex cleared her throat to help herself stop staring. "How long have you known Colleen?"

"A long time. I had just started with the DA's office and I didn't know anyone." Casey said, "And she was on my first case in White Collar as a forensic accountant and we made fast friends." She tilted her head and her eyes focused in concentration. "Did you get her that job?"

"Her qualifications got her that job," Alex let a little sarcasm fall into her voice, it seemed to be a natural occurrence when talking to the redhead, but Casey never seemed to take it personally. "But, yes, I knew of the position and I encouraged her to apply for it."

"Well, on behalf of the office, thank you," Casey toasted her again. "She is the best, and she's a Yankees fan too."

Alex could feel the recognition fall over her face. "You're her baseball friend at the office… I think she tried to tell me about you once, after I started working there again."

"Yeah," she said. "We try and catch games together in season now that I don't get to see her as much once I changed departments."

A silence fell between them, but between the growing comfort and the seemingly endless stock of wedding champagne, it didn't feel awkward.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" Casey said, feeling the next week coming for everybody whether or not they were ready.

"I think so." Alex said. "Kinda makes you want to give up on all of this."

Casey made a soft sigh, her eyes unfocused in her contemplation. "I don't know… I still think it might be nice to hope for, to go home every day and have someone happy to see you, to go to sleep and wake up with."

"If only it were that simple," Alex said.

"Mmm," Casey agreed.

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"They've been gone a while," Alex said. "I know they're bringing back food, but after the big wedding purge, we're left with either microwave popcorn, or more wedding cake to pair with our drinks until they get back."

"Popcorn?" Casey shrugged in agreement. "I hope no one thinks that the bad luck will follow the dresses to their next wedding party."

Alex sat down next to her on the couch to wait for their snack to pop. "I think the bad luck left with the nitwit," she said. "The dresses were lovely, and I hope they bring happiness to someone else."

Casey felt her lips curve into a sheepish smile. "If they look half as good on someone else as they did on you," she said before she realized what she was saying. "Then they'll be extremely lucky."

"Is that so," Alex said, a pleased smile on her face as she squeezed Casey's knee, causing Casey to nearly jump. "And here I thought you were just surprised to find me insinuated into your weekend."

"Well, when I saw you at the dinner, I just thought, _what are the odds?" _she had no idea how she was talking so smoothly, like this was completely natural._ "_But, that was just, nothing compared to when I saw you in the dress…"

Alex blinked, softly and slowly. "What… what did you think?"

And Alex kept looking at her. Her blue eyes were bright, and easy to look into.

"What did I think," she laughed a little, a light and silly laugh, that she almost didn't recognize. She was feeling the champagne a bit, and the magnetism, a lot, and not entirely sure she was confident enough for this, but she felt herself answering. "I mean, we were all wearing the same dress, except for Colleen," she looked down for a beat while she took a deep breath, her mouth smiling. "You have to know you're beautiful, but seeing you outside of work, in that dress, you were gorgeous. And I thought, it was a little unfair to the bride."

There was a magnetic urge, deep and insane, that was pulling her body to lean towards Alex, to move closer.

And then, the rest of the distance was closed for her, because Alex was kissing her.

Her brain didn't seem to know what to do with the sudden rush that went everywhere and only caused her to gasp. Alex pulled away a fraction in response, just long enough for Casey to tilt her head and meet her half-way into the magnetic field, deepening the kiss which was liquifying her body. It caused Alex to moan, and Casey was _so_ glad that they were on the couch, because that sound would have brought her to her knees.

So much so, that she didn't even notice the shifting and then Alex's hands were on her hips, and it should have felt like she was being pinned, or like they were moving fast and should talk, but Alex's hands were magic. Her thumbs were grazing the the bare skin of her abdomen, and the little movements were igniting sparks that she felt all the way down to her toes.

The ding of the microwave pulled them apart in surprise. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute, and they were still so close that she could feel Alex's quick breaths against her lips. She was hyper aware of every single wonderful place that they were still touching. Alex's eyes looked like her brain was going through many different thoughts at once, but her hands were still touching bare skin under Casey's shirt. She was going to say something, make another move, when the door to the pool house opened and they jumped apart.

Colleen smiled bigger than anyone had seen in a long time. She laughed as she walked in and placed multiple food containers onto the table.

"Thank god something good came out of all of this," she laughed again to herself. "But if you want my advice? Elope."

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	4. Chapter 4 CS

**Unexpected, fluff #4**

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A fluff prompt request for Serena/Casey sports fluff! (related to the previous S/C fluff in this series)

AN:And nearly another 3k of WIP procrastination! (though, if I'm honest, I could probably write a part 2 of this… but it was getting long and also taking a beat - I am slow, but I am trying…)  
AN2: The Virginia line is stolen from Madam Secretary.

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She held her hand as they walked home from a late dinner, lacing their fingers together, and leaned her head on her shoulder.

And again, Casey felt a little surprised, that such a simple thing could sweep her off her feet.

She wondered if she would ever get used to it, or even should.

"Hey," Serena lifted her head up and looked at her. "What are you doing on Saturday?"

Casey went through her schedule in her head. "Just a workout, really…" She looked back at Serena, wondering. "What do you like to do for workouts?"

"I like a little variety, so I'll try different classes at my gym, but I do stick to a killer kettlebell routine."

"Kettlebells," she repeated, impressed and surprised. "Thats kind of sexy."

Serena flashed her a pleased smile.

That killed her. She still hadn't gotten used to that. That things Casey did or said, could please her.

"What do you do?"

Casey shrugged a little. "It depends on the season really."

Serena tilted her head in a questioning glance.

"Mostly I like to run or bike to clear my head. But preseason strength and conditioning are so ingrained that I add them in when I'm getting ready for softball season."

"Do you play in a competitive league?"

"It's not a competitive league on paper," she grinned. "I still play on a team with mostly DAs. We play cops, people from the courthouse, firefighters… It's supposed to be a beer league. But there's a lot of bragging rights, and like I said, it doesn't feel right not to be in shape and ready."

"So, what do you do for the preseason?"

"Switch off days of typical lifting for the major muscle groups with running, and when I run I'll throw in some speed or agility work."

"That sounds pretty intensive for a beer league."

"Actually, it's just sort of automatic now, and not nearly as intense as it was back in the day, I mean, I know I'm no longer 18… those were some really pointed workouts."

"I'll bet," Serena said. "Do you like playing other sports?"

"I grew up in Virginia with a father who wanted sons," she grinned again.

"Do play tennis?"

"Yes," she hesitated a beat. "But I'm not very good."

"Would you want to play with me on Saturday then?"

She almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. She knew she'd do anything with her. She'd wait in line at the DMV with her. She'd never experienced this kind of want before.

"That depends on if you get really annoyed by just how often I hit the ball way out of bounds."

She smiled widely. "I can get an extra bucket of balls."

"Then you're on."

They slowed to a stop in front of her building, and Serena waved down a cab, and arranged for it to wait for her a couple of car lengths ahead.

"Then I guess I'll see you Saturday," she said, sliding up to Casey so smoothly that if they were in water, she'd leave no wake.

And then she was kissing her.

Casey couldn't help it, she deepened the kiss, parting her lips automatically, and gently brushing her tongue across her lips.

She couldn't possibly know what the sound that was induced by that simple act would do to her - it was just a small moan of surprise. It sent a wave of honest to goodness tingles throughout her body, causing goosebumps and what felt like a herd of butterflies in her stomach.

Serena seemed to sense that, and took over the kiss.

She felt a thumb softly smooth along her cheekbone, and Serena gently captured her lower lip, biting it ever so gently. The groan that was pulled from her, could hardly be anywhere near equal, but Casey no longer had the mens rea to consider any of it at the moment, being impossibly bombarded by sensation again.

When she pulled away though, she saw Serena's flushed face, the darkened sea of blue in her intense gaze, and the nearly ragged breathing to match Casey's.

It made the butterflies start to stampede.

Serena pulled back a bit, and adjusted the collar of Casey's shirt, smiling. "Good night," she said, like she hadn't just taken Casey apart, and kissed her on the cheek before getting into her cab.

Casey could still feel the aftershocks.

.

* * *

.

On Saturday, Casey was a hell of a lot more comfortable than she had assumed she would be.

She hadn't notice any elitist questioning looks, there were no dismissive glances when they entered Serena's club hand in hand.

She supposed she looked much like most people there for exercise, albeit in her newest and brightest workout gear. She supposed she looked slightly like she was there to participate in the yoga or zumba or other cardio classes more than tennis… there were actually a few people in traditional crisp tennis whites and tennis dresses. But overall it was casual enough and she didn't feel like she stood out.

Overall, she didn't even play that terrible of a match. They played three sets with Casey giving olympian efforts, and maybe a few awkward stumbles. But the real problem wasn't keeping up or being fast enough. The real problem was keeping the ball in the court.

Serena looked nothing less than perfect.

Each time she served, her body displayed just how long and regal and powerful it was. She tossed up the ball so smoothly, her body stretching out on a precise plane of physics before solidly hitting it across the net. And then Casey would have to remember to try and return the serves.

Most often when she returned it, she returned it long.

Very long.

After the fourth or eighth time, when the ball was hit to her forehand side, Casey returned it well over the net. Over the net, out of the court, and nearly out of the yard.

She held her hands out in an exaggerated shrug and let her head fall forward.

Serena laughed and put down her racket and came onto Casey's side of the court.

"Well, it looked like a home run to me," Serena said with a teasing grin.

Casey let out a soft laugh through her nose and a tight lipped smile. "I did warn you."

"Come on," she said, smiling softly and sliding into Casey's personal space with an ease that Casey thought would be impossible. Next thing she knew they were as close as could be without physically touching.

And then came the touching.

"All you need are a few adjustments," Serena said, and poked her lightly in the stomach. She came up behind Casey, placing her hands on her hips, her warm hands burning through the thin nylon shirt.

"Don't lead with your hips," she said, and squeezed Casey's, holding them still to emphasize her point, sending heat throughout the core of her body.

"Step into the hit with your lead leg," Serena continued. "And rotate through the stroke continuously."

She moved one hand up to Casey's right shoulder, and traced the touch from the top all the way down to her wrist, leaving a trail of goosbumps along the way. "Think of it as leaning into the ball, and tilting the racket forward," she turned Casey's wrist a few degrees. "To get a little spin."

Casey nodded as if her brain was actually capable of absorbing coaching at the moment. She wanted to though, and tried to concentrate on what Serena was saying.

And then Serena placed a quick, sweet kiss on her lips before returning to her side of the court and Casey's brain threatened to short circuit again.

She let out a deep breath. _Lean into the ball, racket tilted down_. She breathed in as deep as she could and stretched her neck to crack it._ Step into the hit._

She let out another deep breath as Serena smiled and motioned with the ball and racket, asking if she was ready.

She took another breath and smiled and nodded.

.

.

"I got you a water," Serena said, a smile full of teeth and handing over a large, clear cup of ice water with sliced strawberries, lemons and mint in it.

"Fancy water," Casey said.

Serena winked and looked like she was going to respond, when a friendly voice caught both of their attentions.

"Serena," she said.

"Judge Ross, how are you?" Serena responded and took a slight step toward Casey. "Do you know Casey Novak?"

Jamie Ross nodded and shook both their hands. "It's nice to see you both,"she said, friendly and smiling. "Do you have time for a short set?" she said, directing her attention back toward Serena.

"We were just going to lunch," she motioned to Casey.

"Oh," Ross said, her eyes going wide in a brief flash of surprise, and then a bigger smile of understanding. "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt." And she gave something of a pleased nod toward Serena.

"Not at all," Serena said, catching Casey's eyes and smiling.

Casey put her hand on Serena's arm, lightly and just above her elbow, stopping their exit. "I know I wasn't a very challenging opponent," Casey said. "I can wait if you want to play a bit more. I could use the break to keep up my stamina."

"Are you sure?" she said, giving her half a shrug. "I forgot that the regulars here are used to me playing pick up games," she said, "But I don't have to if you're hungry."

"I can wait," she smiled, and felt her dimples crease her cheeks. "Show me what you can do," she said, and winked, proud of herself for allowing that side of her out.

.

.

The airy space between the floor and the beams above offered an odd mix of court echos, the pings of the balls and court talk, but also mingled voices, conversations from the bar and cafe tables not far off. Casey preferred to be closer though, and sat on the small sets of bleachers that aligned the courts.

While there were many things to notice about Serena, (Casey particularly liked this outfit - her legs were the hardest to ignore, her muscles so subtly contoured her long, elegant limbs). But, even with that distraction, she could tell that something was off about the current set Serena was playing.

She returned the serves easily, but only as hard as they were hit, matching each stroke. Judge Ross was slightly older, and looked enough in shape, but not quite looking nearly as fit as Serena - and they were going head to head?

Serena won two of three sets, and seemed to win those fairly easily. She shook her hand and offered a 'nice-game' and a 'your backhand is getting really good' with every bit earnest sportsmanship. Judge Ross smiled and waved to Casey as she left.

"I think she approves of me having lunch with you," Serena said, smiling with a warm look in her eyes, as she came back to stand in front of the row Casey was sitting on.

"You can tell that?"

"I've been playing her for a few months. We've gotten to know each other a little bit. I'm hoping that someday soon she might let me into her poker game," she said. "But, yeah, I can tell." She stepped a little closer. "I might have gone for wrong types in the past, and I think that there are a few people who will happily approve of…you."

"What is the wrong type?"

"The kind that just don't bring out the best in me." She shrugged a little. "Bad girls, I guess, for a lack of a better term."

"Ah," Casey said, a little chagrinned. "That's um, not quite my reputation, is it."

Serena grabbed her hand, holding it, running the pad of her thumb along the soft skin on the top, and then squeezed it and pulled her close. "No, it's not," she said, and smiled at her, looking into her eyes.

Her mouth snapped closed and she swallowed. Serena's eyes seemed to follow that movement and then trailed slowly up her neck until she met her gaze again.

As Casey was moments from yet another moment of involuntary PDA, another voice startled them apart. This voice, however, was louder and slightly obnoxious.

"Serena, got time for one?" he said.

Casey laughed softly at the interruption, before she recognized him as a criminal defense attorney.

"John got called back to the office and I still have the court," he motioned over his shoulder with his thumb.

"I was heading to lunch," she said, a definite shake of her head.

"Come on," he pleaded. "You killed me last time, you owe me a chance to redeem myself."

"Maybe next time," she said, opening her bag to resheath her racket.

"You afraid I might beat you this time?"

She looked over at Casey who just smiled and shrugged.

"Alright, but just one set."

.

.

What commenced was an entirely different game than the last, faster, and miles different from when she played Casey.

Serena served, and he couldn't make the return. She served again, and this time he returned it, but he hit it too hard and way out of bounds. The third serve was finally returned and then a sharp, manic volley commenced, ending shortly in Serena's favor. Her fourth serve had him sliding out of bounds trying to get to it fast enough. The rest of the match went much the same, fast and powerfully mastered by Serena.

.

.

"Okay, you play a light and easy game, trying to teach me not to hit it into the stratosphere," she said as they ate lunch at the club's restaurant. "And you let a few points go to Ross, letting her win one set. I know you let her… But you… you absolutely demolished that guy in the last game."

"Well, the last one…. Some people need to lose," she shrugged.

Casey knew that her grin had to look a little stupid, but something about that comment caused another small, yet insistent tug at her heart. Every little thing she learned about the woman, from the fact that she had potted orchids in her bathroom, to the little acts of karmic balancing through tennis, made her realize that there wasn't a part of this woman that she didn't want.

"I have a rather complicated history with the sport," Serena said.

Casey tilted her head in contemplation, and made a go-on gesture while sipping at her water.

"It was one of the few things that perked my father's interest," she said. "He seemed to like that I took to it, and paid for as many camps and private coaches and trainers as I wanted." She frowned a little, playing with the vegetables on her plate with her fork. "But after all that work… he only ever came to one match, and he worked on his phone and laptop the whole time. He didn't even come to the state championship."

"That's…" Casey started, but didn't know how to end the sentence without disparaging the man vehemently. "I can't imagine."

"Yeah," Serena said, seeming to agree with the unfinished sentence. "I got really good though." She laughed ruefully. "I stopped playing for a while after that, but eventually I came back to it for stress relief and even fun at times."

"I'm glad you didn't lose something you loved because of…"

"Benign neglect?"

"It doesn't sound that benign."

"It really wasn't that bad. Once I figured all of that out and I stopped trying to impress him, things got better for me."

"He's the one who should be trying to impress you," Casey smiled softly at her. "Because, you are…" she stumbled, not even sure where she was going with this and her throat suddenly starting to go dry. "You are… something."

"Something?" A grin and half a giggle escaped her lips and her tone sounded amused.

Casey could feel her face turning red, and she quickly tried to get the rest of that thought out before she felt even more idiotic. "Amazing. You are amazing, and anyone who doesn't take the time to get to know you is missing out."

The amused smile on Serena's face changed, and grew slowly until it was dazzling.

"Come here," she said, and motioned with her head as she leaned to meet Casey in the middle of the table. She placed her palm on Casey's cheek and pulled her into a kiss.

The touch and the kiss were so soft and gentle that it brought out goosebumps on her skin, and she had to close her eyes to deal with all of the sensations.

Her eyes were still closed as the kiss ended and they resumed their seats to finish lunch. When she opened them again, she found that they were looking at each other with nearly matching smiles.

"You're very sweet."

She didn't know quite how long she was lost in that stare, but then a warm hand slid onto her bare knee, and her stomach clenched around the organic free range chicken she had been eating. It would have been concerning, but then the hand gripped her more firmly, making her skin send a trail of molten fire from her core that rose through her body until it reached the back of her neck.

Serena let go another soft giggle despite herself, but let Casey off the hook.

"So," she said. "What do you want to do with the rest of the day?"

.

.

.


End file.
